Essay --

Introduction There are two types of bacteria that cause Typhus, Rickettsia Typhi and Rickettsia Prowazekii. The form of Typhus depends on which type of bacteria has entered the body and caused the infection. Rickettsia Typhi causes Murine or Endemic Typhus. Endemic Typhus is unusual in the United States. When it is found, its usually seen in areas with poor hygiene and where the temperature is cold. Endemic typhus is sometimes called "jail fever." Murine Typhus typically occurs in the southeastern United States, often during the summer and fall. Risk factors for Murine Typhus include exposure to rat fleas or rat feces. Rickettsia Prowazekii causes both Epidemic Typhus and Brill-Zinsser disease. Brill-Zinsser disease is a far more mild form of Epidemic Typhus. It occurs when the disease re-activates in a person who was previously infected. It is more common in the elderly. Lice and fleas of flying squirrels spread the bacteria. There is no commercially available vaccine against either Endemic or E pidemic typhus. The name given the disease comes from the ancient Greek Typhus meaning smoky or hazy, denoting the condition of mind into which the victim soon lapses after developing his or her first symptoms. Symptoms of Murine or Endemic Typhus may include abdominal pain, backache, raging red rashes, an extremely high fever, hacking followed by a dry cough, headaches, nausea, vomiting and/or joint and muscle pain. Symptoms of Epidemic Typhus may include chills, confusion, Low blood pressure, stupor and/or sensitivity to light. Blood tests may show a low white blood cell count, anemia and low platelets. They may also show a high level of Typhus antibodies, low levels of albumin, low sodium levels and high liver enzymes. Typhus is often c... ...s of Typhus are limited, but the disease has the potential to re-emerge. For example, in Burundi, Africa refugee camps were afflicted in 1997-1998, when about half a million people received the illness. In China in 1999, more than five thousand six hundred people were afflicted following an earthquake. They were forced to live in poor, cold conditions making it the ideal place for a new breakout. In my opinion the United States should entirely rid itself of this disease, including all of the samples held in government labs to preserve as deadly war weapons. The government should also take necessary precaution all over the United States especially in shelters, habitually running tests and routinely ensuring the sanitization of shelters during a natural disaster. These preventive measures will almost guarantee the extermination of the disease in America all together.